The order for Timothy BusfieldThe arrest revealed behind-the-scenes details about her alleged behavior on the set of her previous show, Cleaning Lady.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly On Saturday, January 10, Busfield, 60, was accused by twin brothers of child sexual abuse while working on the series. The cleaning womanthat the West Wing alum joined the second season as director and executive producer. The alleged events took place between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2024.
One boy claimed that Busfield touched his “private areas” inappropriately on several occasions. The second boy told authorities he was allegedly touched by Busfield, but did not specify where. Busfield allegedly picked up the boys and tickled them.
Busfield spoke to law enforcement amid the investigation and denied there was anything “strange” about his interactions with the children on set. He also claimed that he was “never alone on set without the teacher, a social worker or a parent”.
Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield have been married since 2013 after having a long career in Hollywood. “Our business in Los Angeles is very difficult because it’s everywhere in this city (and) everyone is involved in it in some way,” said Gilbert, best known for playing Laura Ingalls on The Little House on the Prairie (…)
While the director denied the allegations, he did admit that he may have tickled the boys because of the “playful atmosphere” he claimed he tried to cultivate on set. Busfield and his wife, Melissa Gilbertshe also admitted to spending time with the boys and their parents outside of the workplace, even once shopping the kids Christmas gifts
Days later, Busfield he surrendered to the police
Several Cleaning Lady staff members gave on-the-record statements about Busfield’s alleged interactions with the child actors during the investigation.
Keep scrolling to see the details revealed on the order:
What did the PAs see on the “The Cleaning Lady” set.
Two production assistants, Taylor Trujillo i Lauren Trujillowere interviewed by an investigator about Timothy Busfield’s alleged interactions on the set of the television series.
Taylor stated that “more than 100 people (would be) working during production” normally, adding that “everyone had their specific job and didn’t focus on other jobs that other staff were doing.” Taylor further alleged that she remembered the child actors involved in the investigation and “was familiar with the rules regarding child actors,” including how they had a teacher on set who would “watch the children and advocate for them during the production.”
He stated that one of the children’s teachers, Lee Irwin“he seemed to lose track of what child actors were doing.” Taylor claimed that one of the twins “was stopped unsupervised, riding a skateboard through a live set at the same time.” Taylor also alleged that the twins’ parents “were not from the industry and didn’t really understand their rights as parents.”
Taylor also shared that in her previous experience she has “seen directors alone with child actors when there should have been a parent or a teacher on set with them.”
While working with the twins The cleaning womanTaylor noticed an alleged change in their behavior after Busfield began working on production in Season 2. According to Taylor, the twins were “very happy, bubbly kids” when she first met them. According to her, there seemed to be a change towards the end of season 2 and when the kids “started acting difficult and weren’t happy”.
Taylor added that while it was “not allowed and it was very unprofessional for anyone to touch or tickle anyone”, she claimed that Busfield was “very touchy with certain people” and “she felt it was very unprofessional” for her.
Lauren told investigators she “never saw anything that warranted” a police report. However, he claimed that he “saw abnormal behavior on set”. Lauren alleged that she saw Busfield in a room with the twins, but could not remember if another adult was there.
She explained that the twins’ set teacher (Irwin) would “always” hang out in the “first team waiting area where there were no monitors” and the teacher would “lose sight of the kids”. He added that Lee was “an older lady” and “didn’t look after the kids very well”. Lauren echoed similar sentiments as Taylor, explaining that the purpose of having a co-teacher is to “help keep an eye” on the kids. Lauren also noted that the twins would “run and almost get hit by other crew members carrying things” while on set.
Lauren also noticed an alleged change in behavior with one of the twins “towards the end of season two and into season three.” He stated that one boy “didn’t look like he wanted to perform” and “didn’t look like he wanted to be there.”
What the teacher of child actors witnessed on the set
Professor Lee Irwin spoke to the researchers about her experience working with the child actors during filming The cleaning woman. Irwin shared that he “sometimes” supervised the children while on set when he felt there might be a “risk.” Other times he was in the section of the set where “there were no monitors during the shoot.”
Irwin stated that she noticed that one of the twins “became very reluctant to be on set” after experiencing enthusiasm for the experience in the past. Irwin did not understand what caused the “big change”.
An anonymous complaint was made about an incident on set
According to the order, an anonymous person filed a complaint through the SAG-AFTRA hotline in February 2023 about an incident that allegedly happened on the set of The cleaning woman in December 2024. The anonymous claimed it witnessed Busfield allegedly kissing a minor man in the face while the boy got his hair cut in the make-up and hair trailer.
The anonymous person also claimed there were photos of Busfield “tickling and fondling the heads and bodies of minor children”.
What the hair and makeup artists saw on set
Daniel Vigil worked The cleaning lady as a hairdresser and make-up artist. According to his interview with investigators, Vigil worked with the two child actors who stood in for the twins who accused Timothy Busfield of abuse. Vigil claimed he witnessed Busfield enter the trailer and kiss “the two child actors on the forehead.” He noted that the parents of both children were present at the time of the alleged kiss. However, he believed that “parents didn’t know the rules and the etiquette.”
When asked if that kind of affection was normal, Vigil said it “usually wasn’t and a designated teacher should be with the kids for their safety.” Vigil added that “children were often left unsupervised by the designated teacher.”
Vigil claimed everyone avoided Busfield “because he was creepy.” He was also “too afraid of reprisals” to speak to the authorities.
Additional hair and makeup artist Christine Ther did not share whether he was aware of any inappropriate behavior, according to the order.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Helpline for children at 1-800-422-4453. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact them National sexual assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).